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Tree Nazis

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FROM A READER

Published: December 6, 2008

Editor:

I am an 88-year-old ex-POW Army veteran trying to lead a peaceful, stress-free life in retirement. I do not have homeowners insurance, so I wanted to remove two humongous trees, 9 inches in circumference, growing within 9 feet of my house. I have seen the damage these trees can do in hurricanes and other high winds and I intended to have them removed.

A mandatory permit to remove a tree was $45, payable at once. A uniformed county "arborist" informed me I could only take down one of the trees, the one next to my bedroom, but I would have to replace it with "nursery grade one" trees of sufficient height. I pointed to the 14 mature oak trees adjacent to my property but to no avail – as would have been an appeal to two layers of bureaucracy.

And you thought the federal government was getting bigger. In Germany they called this the Gestapo. These are hard times so get rid of these costly and unnecessary agencies.

I was only able to have the trees trimmed, ugh, which is not good tree management. Now, will someone buy my house so I can move out of Florida before the trees come crashing down on it?

John Halada
Palm Harbor

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